Tempt Not A Desperate Man
by waterlilies52
Summary: Due to an unfortunate twist of fate, Syaoran ends up homeless, jobless, and penniless. In order to take back what his rightfully his, he embarks on a dangerous mission: seducing the cynical Sakura Hiiragizawa.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tempt Not a Desperate Man

Summary: Due to an unfortunate twist of fate, Syaoran ends up homeless, jobless, and penniless. In order to take back what his rightfully his, he embarks on a dangerous mission: seducing the cynical Sakura Hiiragizawa.

Disclaimer: Plot's mine. Everything else's Clamp's.

Chapter One: Prologue

* * *

"That's all of them, sir."

He shuffled the papers nervously before perusing the fine print some more, pretending to be intent on searching for any loopholes. His client leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out and puffing out his chest. "How many pages you got there, Jude?"

Flipping through the documents, Jude Hamilton said, "Sixteen. That's not including the ones about where your stock portfolio goes."

"And how many would there be if we added those?"

Jude knitted his eyebrows together, deep in thought. "Twenty-three."

His client laughed. "Twenty-three pages, you say. Only twenty-three? My ancestors worked tirelessly for centuries, pouring forth sweat and blood in equal amounts, and you say all of their work can be destroyed with my signature on two dozen flimsy sheets of computer paper?"

Jude coughed and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Forget it. Never mind I said anything." Syaoran stood up abruptly and reached out a hand. "Thanks for all your work. And tell Eriol congratulations for me, would you? It's not every day that you get to snatch the entirety of Li Corporations and as a bonus, bankrupt their CEO, thereby receiving all of his possessions. All in one fell swoop. Great work, great work. In fact, he deserves a standing ovation." He clapped.

The door to Hamilton, Bransworth, and Farmington closed with a click as Syaoran swept out of the building.

And that was that. Eriol Hiiragizawa had won this round: he had taken the entire Li estate, acquired more 70% the stock shares of Li Corporation, and pretty much replaced Syaoran as head of the Li clan. In fact, Syaoran bet that if he paid a visit to the Elders or even gave them a call on his cell phone, he'd get the door shut in his face and a one-way train ticket to their voice mail. Syaoran who?

But the worst part was that all of this was his fault. Eriol was a bit manipulative, true, and might've been the instigator of a few technical details that helped land Syaoran in his present situation, but no, Syaoran sighed, _I only have myself to blame._ He'd been too distracted after coming home from Japan to notice the disapproval in the Elders' eyes when they saw him step off the plane alone. He was twenty-two. And according to the Li clan's standards, one whole year past the marriage deadline.

On his twenty-first birthday, the Elders had given him a choice: find a bride within a year, or we'll find one for you. This statement had been the result of much wheedling, and Syaoran gratefully accepted his birthday present with all the joy of a five-year-old.

Syaoran chose the former obviously, and after some more persuasion was allowed to fly to Japan to accomplish his mission. Twelve agonizing months passed. It seemed like an easy task, find the girl and slip on ring on her finger, but She seemed to have completely dropped off the face of the planet. And the strangest thing was no one else appeared to know where She was either.

Her brother, the Syaoran-hater of the family, merely averted his eyes when he saw his former enemy. Her father, poor Fujitaka, only shook his head and closed the door. The entire town of Tomoeda watched as Syaoran went frantically from door-to-door, begging for any knowledge of her whereabouts. Chiharu didn't know. Rika didn't know. Naoko didn't know. And Tomoyo? She herself wasn't even there to ask. Apparently, Tomoyo and She had left together to god-knows-where.

Maybe She'd gone on a business trip? To Tokyo? To Seoul, perhaps? Or maybe even to the Americas?

And so it had turned into a wild goose chase. Traveling from country to country, continent to continent, Syaoran found himself becoming more and more desperate as the sands of the hourglass fell faster and faster until finally, on April 1st, he faced the truth.

For the past fifty-two weeks, he'd known in the back of his mind all along where She was. Yet somehow, he'd hoped, prayed, that his suspicions would prove to be wrong. But now the jig was up, as some would say, and he boarded the plane on his twenty-second birthday without a wife on his arm.

The events that followed were very swift, and the end came quickly for Syaoran, if not painlessly. The Elders made their decision three days later.

Oh, the celebration was wonderful. Held in the grand ballroom of the Li mansion with pretty ladies flitting around in their ornamental robes and all the richest men who were lucky enough to be invited showing off their best Armani suits, the Li's were at their best.

And then came the ceremony.

_Due to Li Syaoran's blatant show of disrespect, leadership must fall into the hands of one more worthy of the honor. _

_Eriol Hiiragizawa, cousin of Li Syaoran and nephew of Li Yelan, do you accept the following terms of our proposition?_

_I accept._

_And you understand the consequences should you happen to not adhere to any one of our customs?_

_I understand._

_Then let it be known to all, that the next leader of the Li clan has been chosen. Please show your respect to Hiiragizawa-san._

And Syaoran had been forced to bow his head also. Just a couple of years ago, he would've been the one kneeling in front of the Elders, accepting the ceremonial sword of the Li clan, reciting the oath that each leaders had recited before him. But now?

A groups of googly-eyed schoolgirls pointing at him across the street interrupted his reverie and reminded him of who Li Syaoran was now.

Stripped of his money, stripped of his possessions, stripped of his name for God's sake, the infamous Li Syaoran was now jobless, homeless, and completely broke.

_But that's going to change_, Syaoran resolved. Amber eyes hardened, and his mouth tightened into a thin line across his face, the gears in his mind whirling as a plan slowly began to form. It would be risky, and if his gamble failed…

_Well, _he smiled, _I've got nothing to lose, have I? _And without another thought, he raised his hand to signal a taxi.

William Shakespeare once said, "Tempt not a desperate man." And Syaoran was practically the epitome of the word "desperate."

Watching the taxi driver speed away, he checked his posture. _Shoulders back, chin up. Father, I wish you could see me right now, planning my first coup d'état_.He smirked and began walking up the steps to his previous home.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all. _

Syaoran pressed the button for the intercom of Li estate. "I need to speak with Eriol."

"Is that you, Li-san?"

"The one and only, Wei."

"…You're sure this is wise?"

_I've got the "desperate times" part down-pat…_

"Wei. Please."

"…"

"Miss home, Syaoran?"

"A little…but that's not why I'm here. Hey Eriol, think I could borrow Her for a moment?"

"…Who?"

"I'm not stupid, Hiiragizawa."

There was silence on the other line, and then…

_so all that leaves now is the "desperate measure." _

"What do you need Sakura for?"

Syaoran placed his palm on the smooth metal of the gates guarding the Li mansion. His gates. "Just wanted to talk to my girlfriend, that's all."

* * *

**A/N**: Just a little teaser to get things going. I wrote this all in one sitting, so I'd appreciate any feedback (positive or negative) telling me whether I should continue with this or not. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Tempt Not a Desperate Man

Summary: Due to an unfortunate twist of fate, Syaoran ends up homeless, jobless, and penniless. In order to take back what his rightfully his, he embarks on a dangerous mission: seducing the cynical Sakura Hiiragizawa.

Disclaimer: Plot's mine. Everything else's Clamp's.

**Chapter Two**

* * *

There was a pause on the other line, and then…

"She's not here."

Syaoran laughed, a careless, nonchalant sound. "Come on Eriol, what are you scared will happen?"

"_What __might_happen, Syaoran, not will. I've discovered through years of bitter experience that preventive maintenance is always the way to go."

"Does that road include paranoia too? Because I can say honestly say from my own years of experience that paranoia is the wrong way to go."

Eriol didn't respond, but Syaoran knew that he was still there and decided it was time to try a different tactic. "I just want closure with her, is all. Don't you feel that I deserve at least that much?"

Syaoran waited.

And then continued, "Think of it as a favor between two friends. You remember how close we used to be before you left for England after graduation?"

Syaoran paused once more. "Eriol. Please."

"…I'd appreciate it if you refrained from using the word "close." A little too fruity for my taste."

Syaoran could feel a grin beginning to form. "Do I sense a concession?"

"… Here, talk to the poor kid Sakura. He sounds pretty desperate."

"…" Some scuffling on the other line.

And then after a few minutes of more crackling sounds, a female voice said in a tone that could slice through air, "I'm not your girlfriend."

"You were listening?"

"Are _you_ listening? I said, _I'm not your girlfriend._"

"In that case, now would be an excellent time to start."

"I'm sorry, I must have misspoken. What I meant to say was, 'Get the hell out of here, Syaoran.'"

Syaoran forced himself to keep his patience. _Remember the goal, Syaoran. Can't lose your cool. _"One date, that's all I ask. Please?"

"Syaoran, are you daft? Have you changed that much over these past seven years, to the extent where you can't comprehend a good, old-fashioned 'Fuck off?'"

"And as for me, I've personally discovered what seven years can do to one's vocabulary."

"Ok, you know what? Let's cut to the chase. What do you want, Syaoran? Money? Sex? Or is this all a big conspiracy to get back at Eriol?"

"Is there a choice 'd,' for all of the above?"

"How about I just give you answer choice 'e' for none of the above?"

But just as Sakura was about to shut the intercom a low, almost meek, voice on the other line murmured in a strangely subdued tone, "I just want to say I'm sorry."

Startled, Sakura pressed her ear against the intercom. "What?"

"Let me take you out. Not for money, not for sex and definitely not for petty vengeance, but for the reason that you heard me say earlier."

"…Closure?"

"Is that a yes?" Syaoran could feel his heart beating quicker beneath the stiff folds of his white collard shirt. _So close, I'm so close, so close…_

"I'll…I'll have to think about it."Syaoran grinned.

"Meet me at the Shanghai airport at six o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Not the actual building but the area outside, where all the private jets are."

"Wait, where are we going?"

"If you come tomorrow, then you'll know."

Unable to stop herself, Sakura smiled. "Bastard."

"See you tomorrow, Sakura."

"How are you so sure that I'll come?"

Syaoran laughed. "If my devilish good looks aren't enough, your curiosity will definitely drag you to a taxi car tomorrow at approximately 5:55."

"Why 5:55?"

"Because you'll spend about an hour arguing with yourself whether or not to go. And then at around 5:50 you'll look at the clock , scream 'Hoe!' and finally rush out the door without another thought."

He was just about to leave when she cried, "Wait! What do you want me to wear?"

_Well, that was easier than I thought._ And he replied, "Whatever you think you look best in" knowing that this simple phrase would drive her crazy tomorrow when she tried to decide on an outfit.

_Phase one, complete._

**

* * *

**

**Shanghai International Airport 6:08 pm CST (China Standard Time)**

"Bastard."

Sakura kicked at the asphalt angrily with the heel of her shoe and almost fell over backwards. "Damn high heels. Damn date. Damn self-centered, conniving, manipulative, manwhore-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think you went a little overboard there."

She didn't respond immediately, but instead waited as his footsteps grew louder until she could feel him standing directly behind her. Finally, when she knew that he was only half a footstep behind her, she whirled around and gave him a good, old-fashioned smack.

Or had planned on doing so anyway. Instead, her body made contact with something else. That something else being his mouth, and that contact area being her cheek.

"Excuse me while I barf over how cliché this is."

"You mean the whole girl-tries-to-hit-boy-but-boy-distracts-her-with-a-kiss situation? I must disagree. It's usually the girl's mouth that gets violated, and the kiss itself generally lasts much longer than a peck."

"But I suppose you were too gentlemanly to do either of those things," she said sarcastically.

He laughed and bowed with a dramatic flourish of his arm. "At your service, mademoiselle. Or should I say, Madame? I'm still trying to get used to this whole married thing."

"Funny, I thought the only people who had to get used to were the people actually, oh I don't know, in the marriage maybe, and that the other people should just mind their own fucking business."

"I'm sorry to inform you, Madame Hiiragizawa, that your usual impeccable judgment has failed you in this instance. Your marriage affects many people, your family members being one such example."

"A group that doesn't include you."

"You didn't let me finish." He folded his arms. "What about your friends? Aren't your friends impacted by the marriage in some way or another?"

"Yet another category that you don't follow under."

He put a hand on his chest and stepped back as if shot. " 'These words are razors to my wounded heart.' "

"Shakespeare?"

"_Titus Andronicus _to be exact, but I digress. Well," he said, looking at his watch, "only six more minutes left anyway."

"Left until what? It's almost dark, it's not like we can do anything now."

"Exactly, it's almost dark." And with that said, he plopped down on the cement, spreading his arms out as if making a snow angel. "Come on, you can't gaze at the sky from there, it's just not right."

She looked at him quizzically for a moment, before suddenly bursting out in laughter. "Oh my god," she managed to gasp between giggles, "are you actually planning to watch the sunset with me? Was that your grand plan for this date? I'm sorry, Syaoran, it was a nice try, but that's a little bit too over-romantic-y for me, not to mention lame and completely unoriginal. And besides, the sun's pretty much already gone by now."

Unfazed, Syaoran grinned up at her from his position on the ground. "Who said we were watching the sunset?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why else do you want me to watch the sky? You don't have to lie to save your ego or whatever, it's all right."

"Just lay down." He replied calmly with his eyes closed.

Seeing him so relaxed with that stupid, (though she'd never admit this to him) _handsome_, smile gracing his lips made her feel strange. "Oh all right," she finally huffed and gently lowered herself onto the hard ground.

"My skirt's going to get dirty, you know. And I spent a lot of time on this outfit, or at least Tomoyo did anyway. And I even came here early, excited for god-knows-what and god-knows-why, but I pretty much bolted out of the house and arrived here half an hour before you told me to, thinking that I'd surprise you. But no, you came late to a date that you had to practically beg for." She paused from her rambling and looked at the man lying silently next to her. "And now you're asleep. Well. Thanks for a great time" She looked over again and was disappointed that he hadn't even shifted from his earlier position a bit. The only movement she could detect was the gradual rise and fall of his chest, and even that was barely noticeable.

She cleared her throat. "Well, I'll be going now. See you around, I guess." Frowning, she made to get up, but suddenly found herself being jerked back onto the cement.

"Shut up."

Now this was just too much. "Excuse me?" Sakura sputtered.

Syaoran sighed and sat up. With the utmost care, he took Sakura's thin shoulders with his hands and slowly lowered her to the ground. Next, he smoothed her hair across the asphalt so that it fanned out from her face. Finally, he began to massage her arms, working from the forearm all the way up to the crook adjoining the neck and shoulder.

Sakura found herself enjoying these little attentions and began to subconsciously lean into his touch.

"Relax," he murmured in a low voice. "Don't think; just relax. Trust me, Sakura." Mesmerized by warmth radiating from his body, she closed her eyes. "There you go."

After a few minutes, Syaoran stopped his ministrations, much to Sakura's dismay. And to her horror (and Syaoran's satisfaction) her body decided to express its reluctance, and a small moan escaped from her lips.

"You like that, huh?" Syaoran grinned. "Maybe we'll have some more of that later, then. But now," he lay back down on his back and resumed his snow-angel position from earlier, "now we listen."

"Listen to what?" she asked.

"Shh," he reached up to brush the hair from her forehead. "Lay still." Too comfortable from his massage to protest, she obeyed.

All was silent for a moment and then, without warning, Sakura felt the earth shake underneath her. Tiny tremors rose from the asphalt beneath her fingers and gurgled beneath the surface, tickling her back and the hairs on her neck.

"It's vibrating!" she sat up and exclaimed. Syaoran smiled and said nothing.

Mystified, Sakura lay back down and closed her eyes to focus on the waves of brute strength rumbling from the airplanes sprinting past them.

They lay there, Sakura with her eyes closed and enjoying the feel of her free massage, Syaoran with his eyes open and enjoying the view of his lovely date. "Do you know why I brought you here now?"

"To feel the repercussions of airplanes on a runway?"

Syaoran laughed. "Not quite. Do you remember what you said to me many years ago when I told you that I couldn't come to your brother's wedding because I had to go on a business trip with the Elders?"

Sakura stiffened. "No."

Unfazed, he continued. "Well I do. You were crying on the phone, practically blubbering because you were so upset that I never set time aside to visit you, even on a day so important."

She turned her face away from his.

"And so, to soothe you and assuage your fears, I promised that I would come back one day, and that when I did, I would take you along on every single one of my business trips."

"Syaoran." He ignored her.

"And you promised me, your words so earnest and filled with hope, that you'd wait for me even if took years. And then I said 'I love you.' "

"Syaoran, stop…"

"And you said you loved me too."

"Damnit, Syaoran, why won't you give it a rest already? It's been years since that day, and I'd appreciate if you'd just lay the fuck off!" she shouted.

"Because," his voice rising to drown her protests, "I fulfilled my promise. I came back for you. I departed from this exact airport with hopes soaring to the sky, and I came back a ruined man. And you know what was the first thing I did when I stepped out of my private jet? I threw my suitcase onto the ground, and lay down in the exact position that we're in right now. And for the longest time, I lay there wondering where I'd gone wrong. And then I came to a decision."

She was crying now, unable to stop the tears from rising to her eyelids.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sakura. You were pretty much on the dot earlier when you asked me what I wanted."

"Stop, stop, stop…."

"I want my money. I want revenge. But I don't want sex, because hell, as cheesy as it sounds, I want love. And I don't care what you or Eriol or the entire goddamned world says, but I'm going to get it all."

And then suddenly, his face was hovering above hers, their lips barely an inch apart.

"Especially the last one."

* * *

oohlala. Wonder what's going to happen, eh? That's quite a precarious position that they're in.

Oh, and a humongous (is that really a word?huge+enormous?or what about ginormous?gigantic+enormous?) ILOVEYOUUU to all of my reviewers out there. Y'all make my day, seriously. Now if you guys could just do it again...ahem ahem. aand, sorry for the wait! I guess you could consider this a valentine's day gift, even though valentine's day ended approximately..let's see..twenty-five minutes ago as I type this. sooo

please review! the number of reviews is inversely proportional to time between updates.


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